Religions en Suisse

The Department for the Study of Religions at the University Lucerne is the Swiss hub for the study of religious plurality. Several research projects have been conducted by Professor Martin Baumann and his research team on exploring and mapping religions in Switzerland.

Role model for gathering data on religions

Due to the Swiss census and the broad research of the department, the data available on religions in Switzerland can be seen as one of most comprehensive national record and may serve as a role model for other countries and research institutions alike. Research projects of the department focus on different aspects of the religious landscape in Switzerland and its changes within the last decades. The Department for the Study of Religions at the University Lucerne is part of the Plureligion Network and shares its findings on the Swiss case internationally.

Regional and national religious plurality

The projects Religious Diversity in Canton of Lucerne and Religions of Switzerland are conducted by the department and focus on the local, regional and national aspects of religious plurality and diversity. The projects analyse process of religious pluralisation from a historical and sociological perspective. Repeated inquiries from schools, adult education, associations and the media all over Switzerland demonstrate the public need for information on religions. As part of these framework projects, minor projects on Vietnamese Buddhists, Muslim youth groups, and civil engagement of Swiss Hindu associations are realised. For both projects exist substantial web sites (in German) with a range of information on religions and religious plurality.

Religious buildings as public signs for religious plurality

The project Cupola – Temple – Minaret documents sacred buildings of non-indigenous religions in Switzerland. It is open-ended and produces regularly research material for academic studies and information for the public. As seen in the Swiss controversy on banning minarets, public spaces represent a sensitive realm when it comes to religions. With distinctive and visible symbols – buildings, statues, processions, clothing and more – non-indigenous religions claim their place in the public sphere. The project analyses how previous standards of participation in public spaces are renegotiated and modified. However, this project is limited to buildings only. Throughout Switzerland, it documents any building which is outwardly recognisable as a religious building, and was built after the Second World War as a result of migration.